Day 11If it was any hotter, we'd fry eggs

ROUTE: Mt Home to
Twin Falls ID

DISTANCE: 98
Miles

WINDS: Light
tailwinds most of the day

WEATHER: Sunny and
hot

TERRAIN: A
couple mesa climbs but mostly rolling

TOTAL CLIMBING: 3745
Feet

DAILY REPORT:
OK...I'll not bore you with another "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood"
paragraph, but suffice it to say IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!!!!
NA NA NA NA NA!!!! Well, that description applies to rain and winds but not
temperatures. It was in the lower 60s when we left but it got into the mid
90s before the final riders got to the motel. Actually, in this part of
the country it feels pretty good until mid afternoon. Even though it was
in the upper 80s and lower 90s by noon, the air felt comfortable as you were
moving...when we stopped for something we could tell it was warming up.
Having said that, all bets were off after about 2:00 in the afternoon as it got
really toasty during the final miles.

It was sure nice to get in so early
yesterday. Everyone was feeling pretty good at the start today, and it turned
out to be a relatively easy day out in the Idaho countryside aside from the late
hot temperatures. I spent the morning riding with Karen and pulling sweep duty
until about 1:45. From there I got to ride in...got to feel the brunt of
the heat. By the time I got to the motel, I was ready to pack it in.

Karen and I took lots of photos while
loafing around waiting on riders...took over 100 on one camera alone.
Everywhere I looked I saw another "better" shot than I'd just taken. To say the
scenery is beautiful out here is a huge understatement. I would have taken more
had I not had to chase down the group on a couple occasions after having my own
flat or fixing someone else's.

Every time I come through this
area I'm in awe of how fertile it is. I always try to envision how it must have
been riding across this country in a wagon pulled by a team of oxen before
irrigation made the countryside green. It must have been an awesome task
walking behind a dusty wagon and trying to avoid the natives, trying to stay
alive, and trying to keep the livestock from wandering off. If you've never
seen this area, the climate is really dry--only 9 inches of rain a year--and if
you don't irrigate the soil, the only thing that will grow is sagebrush.
Idaho's motto is, "Just Add Water" and this area is a true testament to what you
can do with a little water. Along the Snake River plain you'll find some of the
most fertile agricultural areas anywhere, but only a few feet from where they
apply the water, you'll find only dust and sage. The contrast is
remarkable...it's either green or brown. Then imagine walking over 20 miles of
parched desert only to find your way blocked by a deep canyon with perpendicular
walls on both sides and the water you so desperately need at the bottom. We
rode through such an area today. Some beautiful canyons have taken over 3
million years to develop (below left), and they'll still be here long after we
are gone.

This
area is also well known for its dairy farming. Twin Falls was settled 98 years
ago by a man named Ira Perine. He came here from Pennsylvania to take up
mining. After a bit, he found it to be too difficult, so he bought some dairy
cows. About that same time, a group of people moved into the area and set up a
tent motel along the area near Shoshone Falls. So, according to the info
provided to us by the chamber of commerce, Twin Falls was settled by a dairy
farmer and a bunch of tourists...and it's still like that today.

The final mile into town is really beautiful as we
cross a gorge on the Perrine Memorial Bridge. Every time we get here we
see bridge jumpers and today one of them offered Cindy a chute and a free jump.
My stock in Cindy's good judgment just went up as she politely declined.
The views from the bridge are beautiful and I'm not sure how far it is to the
bottom, but as they say in Alabama, "It's a fur piece."

Well, it's about time to go to dinner. Even
with the long day, I was able to get the page done before rap and dinner.
Maybe I can go to bed early for a change. Tomorrow's a really short day, only
38 miles, so everyone should be able to have a riding rest day. I hope so,
we've got some long days coming up. Hope you have a great evening...see you
again tomorrow. M.

DID I REALLY SAY THAT?:

Very popular out here.

DID I REALLY DO THAT?:

I stopped to help Topper and Lois fix a rear
flat. When Lois handed me the new tube, it was found to be the wrong
size. She has 650 wheels and the new tube was a 24". Topper
said he had another one and handed me a new tube. When I tried to
put it in, I found it was a 700...hmmm, I see a pattern here.
Finally, they were able to find a proper tube to get her back on the road.
Now if I hadn't come along, no one would have known this little incident.

DID I REALLY SEE THAT?

Jan was
showing everyone how she could do a double back jack knife flip off the back
of the luggage truck...we estimated she needed about 6 more feet of altitude
to complete her last flip...should have worn a helmet I imagine.

Hard to
ride without pedals...I guess that's why this farmer took them off so no one
would just ride off with his mailbox.

He's so
cute. Mike, can we keep him? Barb said she had enough room in
the luggage truck.

At a
little store we stopped at, Baxter the dog took the lunch payments and
deposited it into the register. The proprietor said it saved salary
for another waitress...Wonder if he expected a tip?

After
breaking his wheel yesterday, Big Mike may have found a suitable
replacement...right now he's wondering if we have tires that will fit these.

Nice
formation Karen.

At rap, I
sometimes tell the riders they will "waller" around an area...this is where
I must be talking about.